ALS TECHNICIAN

Independence Health System•Greensburg, PA

4d•Onsite

About The Position

The ALS Technician provides direct patient care and clinical support, primarily in the Emergency Department and PACU. The role includes performing patient assessments and procedures within scope, supporting individualized care plans, implementing appropriate orders, monitoring patients, and reporting changes in condition. The technician also supports department operations, quality improvement, staff education, and coordination with emergency medical services (EMS). The position has no direct supervisory responsibilities but serves as a coach and mentor to colleagues. Scheduling is based on operational needs and may involve rotating shifts, standby, and on-call work. Local travel between Independence Health locations may be expected.

Requirements

High school diploma, GED, or higher level of education.
Strong leadership ability and good organizational skills.
Independent and critical-thinking skills, sound judgment, and knowledge of legal aspects and liability of nursing practice.
Ability to communicate complex and/or controversial topics and concepts to a wide and diverse audience.
Ability to work with a multidisciplinary team.
Current Basic Life Support (BLS) certification through an American Heart Association-approved curriculum, including CPR and AED.
Act 33 clearance with renewal.
Act 34 clearance with renewal.
Act 73 FBI clearance.

Nice To Haves

One to two years of pre-hospital experience.
National Registry and/or state certification.
Completion of a paramedic program under the national standard curriculum, documented by paramedic course documentation or a current paramedic card.

Responsibilities

Participate in patient care planning and perform and document direct patient care, including vital signs, intake and output, point-of-care testing, specimen collection, weights, venipunctures, and specified procedures.
Collaborate with nurses and physicians regarding patient care needs and escalate concerns affecting quality of care to the Clinical Nurse Coordinator or management.
Perform and document basic triage functions where applicable, and assist others with triage.
Support individualized plans of care, established guidelines, patient and family involvement, and measurable care outcomes; anticipate patients' special needs and help colleagues identify patient needs.
Coach and mentor colleagues and serve as a unit resource, preceptor, and patient advocate.
Assist with clerical duties and transport stable patients to nursing units, ancillary departments, and other destinations to facilitate care.
Implement physician orders, nurse directives, and departmental guidelines promptly and accurately within scope; verify their appropriateness before implementation.
Provide treatments within scope, including IV initiation, venipuncture, urinary catheter care and insertion or removal, straight catheterization, suctioning, and splint application.
Monitor cardiac rhythms, interpret and document rhythm strips, and notify nursing staff of abnormal findings.
Participate in departmental operations, stay current on operational issues, communicate updates to colleagues, and propose operational improvements for management review.
Maintain departmental readiness by restocking and checking supplies and equipment each shift, verifying equipment is present, clean, and functioning, and correcting deficiencies.
Participate in quality improvement, department improvement activities, and education and precepting of new staff.
Promote a safe, clean, orderly, quiet environment and a professional appearance through positive teamwork and customer service.
Serve as a department liaison for air and ground EMS and support appropriate transfer and monitoring of patients from pre-hospital care to the ER treatment area or PACU.
Log, retrieve, clean, and maintain EMS equipment; check whether EMS services need restocking and assist when applicable.
Transport patients who require cardiac monitoring; monitor their rhythms and promptly report changes or symptoms to the responsible caregiver.
Perform central telemetry monitoring, interpret rhythm strips, and document according to policy.
Monitor peripheral IV site patency and promptly report complications.
Transport stable patients receiving drug infusions, including nitroglycerin, Cardizem, heparin, or amiodarone, and immediately report side effects, complications, reportable conditions, or acute changes.
Recognize and report patient changes requiring Rapid Response Team or Code Blue activation and initiate basic resuscitative measures as appropriate until the team arrives.
Perform post-cardiac-catheterization groin checks as assigned; perform IV insertion and venipuncture, and conduct EKG monitoring and interpretation.
Report and document findings to the appropriate caregiver.
Perform other duties as assigned.